Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella has 'huge chip on my shoulder'

Wednesday

The Blue Jackets hosted their annual media day luncheon Wednesday at Nationwide Arena, and it didn’t take long for the tone of this year’s training camp to be set.

After taking heavy losses in free agency and hearing about it all summer, the Jackets are going into this season with the goal of proving doubters wrong about them.

“I don’t really give a (expletive) what people say, as far as what they think is going to happen with the team,” said coach John Tortorella, who was asked how important it is for the Blue Jackets to avoid taking a step back this year. “I don’t read it, but everybody that I see tells me about what they’ve read. It’s put a huge chip on my shoulder once we get started here.”

Training camp will officially get under way Thursday with medical evaluations and conditioning tests, followed by on-ice testing Friday. Tortorella, general manager Jarmo Kekalainen and the rest of the Jackets’ brass will be closely watching every step and stride.

“Usually I have a chip on my shoulder about something else, about the conditioning of the team or this guy wasn’t ready at the start of the year or I’m fightin’ with Jarmo,” Tortorella said, drawing laughter from Kekalainen and others in the room. “But this one here, it’s in place and has been in place for me for a number of weeks now, as people talk at me.”

Kekalainen is equally motivated.

“Sometimes you have to meet challenges in a way the team progresses, with contracts that are expiring and free agents, the rights of free agency,” he said. “That’s why you build through the draft with young players and you plan ahead many, many years. If you have your depth chart stocked with good prospects that are ready to make an impact on your team, you’re hoping those guys can step in and make an impact on you team.

That’s why we didn’t go out and try to sign many veteran players. We feel the prospects we have that are ready to do that deserve a chance to get a long look at where they’re at. That’s why we’re anxious to get started here and see where we’re at.”

Kekalainen also gave an update on three players — Liam Foudy, Stefan Matteau and Markus Hannikainen — who will either be limited or miss the start of camp. Foudy, who has an undisclosed injury issue, will be limited at the start of camp and Matteau will sit out with a lingering issue following offseason knee surgery.

Hannikainen is still in Finland trying to iron out an immigration issue and Kekalainen didn’t have a timeline for when he might arrive.

bhedger@dispatch.com

@BrianHedger

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